The Relationship between High Absolute Lymphocyte Counts and Favorable Prognosis in Eribulin Therapy is seen in First-Line Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer: Combined Analysis of Two Phase 2 Studies

Iwamoto. The Relationship between High Absolute Lymphocyte Counts and Favorable Prognosis in Eribulin Therapy is seen in First-Line Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer: Combined Analysis of Two Phase 2 Studies. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Research 6 (2022): 139-146. Abstract Background: While absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are associated with prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), the influence of previous chemotherapy on blood cell counts may necessitate an evaluation of baseline ALC and NLR in first-line chemotherapy patients. Methods: Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who received first-line eribulin chemotherapy in two phase 2 trials (BIRICHEN and OMC-BC 03) were retrospectively analyzed. HER2-negative MBC patients who received first-line chemotherapy other than eribulin (treatment of physician’s choice; TPC) at Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital between March 2013 and March 2017 were also analyzed for comparison. Results: In the eribulin group, the median OS (mOS) was 30.9 and 17.8 months in the high-(H-)ALC (≥1500/μL; n = 33) and low-(L-)ALC (<1500/ μL; n = 26) groups, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27–1.01), whereas it was 30.9 and 15.4 months in the L-NLR (<2.5; n = 23) and H-NLR (≥2.5; n = 36) groups, respectively (HR, 0.49; 95% CI: 0.25–0.95). In the TPC group, neither ALC nor NLR was associated with OS or PFS extension. The Relationship between High Absolute Lymphocyte Counts and Favorable Prognosis in Eribulin Therapy is seen in First-Line Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer: Combined Analysis of Two Phase 2 Studies. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Research 6 (2022):